-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ten years after `` The Nanny Diaries '' became a bestseller , authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have released back-to-back new books . A lot has changed in the publishing industry , not to mention in the authors ' personal lives , between the bookends of their careers thus far .

`` Over You '' is a young adult novel about a teenager who helps friends cope with breakups , while struggling to move on from her own heartbreak . And `` Between You and Me '' depicts a famous singer 's public self-destruction , in a story reminiscent of recent real-life celebrity dramas .

It 's been a busy decade for McLaughlin and Kraus , both 38 . `` The Nanny Diaries , '' their satirical novel about a young woman who looks after the offspring of spoiled Manhattan parents , sold four million copies . It spawned a sequel -LRB- `` The Nanny Returns '' -RRB- and a feature film . McLaughlin and Kraus also wrote `` Citizen Girl , '' `` Dedication , '' and their young adult debut , `` The Real Real , '' in addition to various short stories .

But their prolific writing career is n't their only priority these days . The two former nannies recently became mothers : McLaughlin 's son , Theo , and Kraus 's daughter , Sophie , are both 2 years old . The authors live in New York City , where I went to high school with Kraus . The new mothers talked to CNN over the phone about their transition from writers , to working moms , who are also adapting to a shift in the literary landscape . The following is an edited transcript .

CNN : How has becoming mothers impacted your writing ?

Kraus : We 're definitely more efficient than we 've ever been before , because we have to be . We no longer have those sweet spot , post-sugar crash , 5 to 8 p.m. hours to make up whatever we have n't gotten done during the day . We have a hard clock-out because we have to be at pickup . We have to do the parts of the day that we love : dinner , bath time and bedtime . And sometimes we get back to work after our kids go to bed , but we 're usually really brain-fried by then , in a way that we did n't used to be .

McLaughlin : We 're a lot less precious about getting to work . We 're not getting that perfect cup of tea , and waiting until the morning light is just so , and finding just the right inspiration . It 's butt in the chair , when you get the kids settled , and you just go . The upside of that for our writing creatively is that you 're in a constant state of thinking about the novel . Your brain is constantly firing on problem solving . Are the characters working ? All those hard questions that you have to put the material through are ever-present now .

CNN : Would you say that becoming mothers around the same time brought you closer together as a writing team ?

Kraus : Definitely . I ca n't imagine what it would have been like if it had been one of us years apart from the other . Because I think you ca n't appreciate how tired you are , or how much willpower you have to harness on some days to focus , until you 've done it . It really is like nothing else . And I think that we have a lot of compassion for each other . We understand what it is when the other has been up all night with their children , if someone has the flu or something . I think it 's impossible if you have n't had kids yet to really get that .

McLaughlin : Becoming a parent is such an extreme change in your life . I think it 's invaluable to your sanity to have somebody who understands it and is going through it with you . Just on an individual level , regardless of the work , on a personal level , it 's priceless to have that support from somebody who gets it . You do n't have to explain yourself in that way . It 's just really comforting .

CNN : You have two new books out , in different genres . Has motherhood helped you to write something that you would n't have been able to before ?

Kraus : It 's funny . We look back at books that we 've finished with a different lens than we have before . Specifically , we talked a lot about `` The Nanny Diaries '' in the last couple of years because when we were nannies , we could n't really understand why so much derision and scorn was thrown the way of not just us , but our colleagues . And now that we 're parents , and we 're so dependent on having fantastic caregivers , so that we can step away and do things that we need to do , we 're even more mind-boggled by it than we were before . We are so appreciative of the women who come in and make our kids ' days awesome . And we love that our kids love these women . We appreciate the affection that these women give our children , and the structure , and the education and the discipline . And it means the world to us .

CNN : Did you ever consider not coming back to work after your children were born , or was it agreed that you definitely would ?

Kraus : Speaking for myself , I was counting the days until my daughter was old enough to start daycare . They have a 3-month - -LRB- old -RRB- policy . I love doing both . And I am so grateful that I have a career that I am deeply committed to and that brings me so much joy . And it makes me a happy person , which I think makes me a happy mom . I am so psyched when I get to pickup at 5:30 . And I try to make those hours with her as fun as possible because I 've had a good day . Even the tough days are good days . And I am grateful to have both in my life .

McLaughlin : I agree to all of that and I think , additionally , it was interesting for me to discover the moments I 've had of : ' I should just be doing this ; I should just be parenting ' have not come ever from not wanting to be working or a lack of passion to be working . It comes from moments where there are n't enough hours in the day . It 's wishing I had more time to do both . I feel really blessed to be able to go to work every day . I have no question that it makes me a better parent . It fulfills me so much that I am able to be so much more present with my son .

CNN : Do your kids play together ?

Kraus : Not as often as we would like !

McLaughlin : But when they do , they are quite enchanted with each other .

Kraus : It was so cute . They kissed each other on the lips goodbye at Christmas . It was painfully cute .

CNN : You 're collaborating with Teen Vogue and EstÃ © e Lauder on `` breakup to beautiful '' makeovers at Nordstrom stores . Did you approach them ? Or did they come to you ?

Kraus : This was Emma 's brainchild .

McLaughlin : We reached out . The landscape of publishing is rapidly shifting . It 's a very unstable time for an author . I think we 've been doing a lot of thinking about how we can continue to be out there when we 've lost so much marketing via foot traffic of brick and mortar stores , and the consolidation of retailers . That was so much of how novelists depended upon connecting with readers . So we have been doing a lot of thinking outside of the box about how to do that .

McLaughlin and Kraus are signing copies of `` Over You '' at EstÃ © e Lauder counters in various Nordstrom stores through December 1 .

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It 's been 10 years since Emma McLaughlin , Nicola Kraus wrote `` The Nanny Diaries ''

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Co-authors recently released back-to-back books , one a young adult novel , `` Over You ''

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The pair , who typically write together , both gave birth to their first children two years ago

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Changing lives have meant their writing methods , points of view have changed as well